Two seasoned human rights lawyers lectured Sara Duterte on her deceptive and incorrect view that her father, Rodrigo Duterte, should not be charged with crimes against humanity allegedly because the arrest warrant was based only on 43 cases. This attack by Duterte is repeatedly amplified by her family’s disinformation machinery and eagerly embraced by followers of their dynasty. Duterte is the only one who expressed this “legal opinion,” not her father’s actual lawyer, Nicolas Kauffman.

Atty. Krissy Conti, a lawyer for victims of the bogus war on drugs, described Duterte’s statement as “simplistic,” which may convince some but not the courts. She condemned Duterte for the challenge to publicly name the 30,000 victims and “prove” that they were killed by her father.

“This type of statement obstructs a deeper understanding and investigation of this serious issue,” said the lawyer.

Atty. Neri Colmenares, also a lawyer for the victims, ridiculed Duterte’s attempt to spread disinformation. He questioned where Duterte got the figure of 30,000 since this is not the actual number filed with the ICC. He said that as a lawyer, Duterte should base her arguments not on what she reads on social media but on the actual case data.

“The case we filed with the ICC lists 3,417 killed as of July 31, 2018, because this is the number of victims the Philippine National Police officially acknowledged,” Colmenares clarified.

Nonetheless, if Duterte thinks that her father will not be convicted because the cases filed with the ICC do not reach 30,000, she is clearly mistaken, according to Colmenares.

“If she plans to act as a lawyer for Pres. Duterte, she should know that no specific number is required to prove crimes against humanity,” he said. What needs to be proven is whether there was a “widespread or systematic attack on civilians.” The cases presented to the ICC occurred in various regions and provinces over six years. “This cannot be denied by Duterte’s lawyers,” he added.

The 43 cases mentioned by the prosecution in its request for an arrest warrant are “representative of widespread attacks, solely for issuing the arrest warrant.” “The cases to be filed on September 23 may cover more than these 43 cases,” he said.

In any case, Duterte will undoubtedly lose if he employs his daughter’s reasoning. Several leaders have already been convicted of crimes against humanity with almost the same number of cases.

“Whether it’s 30 or 30,000, state-sponsored killings constitute crimes against humanity,” he said.